Mirrors
by Tartarun
Summary: Some days he looks into the mirror and sees a shattered Hiruzen staring back.


**DISCLAIMER: If I find a genie in a lamp in my sand garden my first wish will be to own Naruto. But until then I will have to cope. Danzo and Hiruzen's relationship has always fascinated me, they run a village together and yet don't get along. I just explored a "what the relationship might be like".**

Danzo was a shattered reflection of Hiruzen. He looked in the mirror and some days he saw Hiruzen's eyes reflected back. But that was nonsense. Danzo's eyes were lined and aged while Hiruzen's under all impossible notions were crinkled and fiery. He watches his old brother apprentice and he knows it could have so easily turned out the other way. Shimura Danzo, Third Hokage and Hiruzen Sarutobi the bitter old advisor on his council.

Hiruzen was always faster. Always stronger. Always braver. But Danzo thinks deep in his heart, that he loved Konoha more. Even in his youth Hiruzen was the shining radiant model, strong, kind, wise while he was not. Danzo was strong, respected but in the end feared. Because he did the things Hiruzen would not do. Because he loved his village too much. For all his superiority Hiruzen was weak, and Danzo found his respect for him and his abilities slipping by the day as he caved to the seducing calls for peace on enemy terms.

Some said strength came from conviction, some said it came from the desire to protect. If that was the case then Danzo's strength outshone them all for he had one great desire in his life. The desire to see Konoha strong, flourishing, its people safe while the other hidden villages hid in the shadows like wounded animals. Hiruzen believed in the will of fire; burning, healing, never ending. What happens when you have too much fire Sarutobi? It burns out of control old friend, it blackens and scorches and nothing survives. It'll be the literal inferno on the shinobi's funeral pyre.

A village of shinobi is a dangerous thing. And there are tough decisions to be made. Hiruzen couldn't so Danzo did it for him and when Hiruzen came storming in, rage in his eyes and demands why. He tells him because Hiruzen could not bear that weight on his soul. Danzo could. He always could. What were a few lives here and there for the lives of his village? Oh Hiruzen loved his village too, you could see it in the warmth of his eyes as he looked at the people who belittled the child he saw as a grandson. He was the Hokage and trapped by inky chains. But he had that foolish ideal of Konoha being a nice shinobi village. Danzo had actually been dumbstruck first time he heard it. A nice shinobi village? They were assassins, thieves, mercenaries. They were dignified, disciplined, and strong. They were not nice!

It was all nice and well to have Konoha being the military might equal to the other great nations and grudgingly he admits Hiruzen has done a fine job of that. But stealth, information gathering? Danzo himself handles that. His Root organisation founded out of his own pocket stretched the breadth of the elemental countries and it was there Konoha truly shone as great. His root agents were feared as merciless and practical and he feels no small amount of pride as this is the way things should be. Konoha should be feared, the others should live in fear of reprisal if they act against his village. Hiruzen wanted to have the reputation as the nice village so he 'loses' the requests for the truly disgusting mission requests. But killing of innocents and children does not bother Danzo and his Root do it in secret, for money is money and money decides wars. It is the roots which hold up the great tree after all.

Root is needed by Hiruzen and he knows it. To do the things he dare not. How could he send the children he saw as his own to their certain deaths even if it was vital? Danzo has no regrets and neither do his Root. Each of them would be proud to die for Konoha, a million times over if need be. So if they betray their oldest ally and blame the enemy to wind their alliance links closer together, what of it? So if they plant information and treachery to break up potential alliances, what of it? If they kill the royal family's offspring so they have an excuse to move against their enemies, what of it? Konoha survives another day.

He sneers as he thinks of Hiruzen's students. Orochimaru, the shining star now hated and vilified. Tsunade, the royalty of the village, a bitter old hateful woman. Only Jiraiya remained truly loyal, he understood the use of deception and information and Danzo makes sure his Root agents help in any way if Jiraiya needs help suddenly on his spy network. Where is your famous team work Hiruzen? He sits on his chair like a king sits on a throne and surveys his kingdom. It is due to his efforts that they did as well as they did in the world wars and he feels a thrill run through him as he remembers the old days on the battlefield, hacking and slashing in the night to micromanaging his shadow empire in the day.

The Uchiha massacre is a sore point with him. The Uchiha made up their police forces, it would weaken their forces considerably but a coup would send the whole of Fire country into war. His precious village would burn! So when Itachi stepped forward to do the necessary, all he can think about is pride in this young man for doing the needful. The Sharingan couldn't be allowed to die out, it was too powerful a weapon. So he made plans to harvest the eyes afterwards, he notices grimly most of the eyes have been slashed over but there are enough. More than enough to fulfil his purposes. Hatake thought he was the only one in the village with a Sharingan, how wrong he was. The strength of the village stayed constant, increased even as many Uchiha were not exemplary shinobi. He watched and he was proud.

Danzo and his Root were the first into battle behind the Fourth Hokage against the Kyuubi. This was his village and he would do anything to protect it. He sees Hiruzen, God of Shinobi, straighten in his battle armour with Enma at his side and feels the old flicker of awe and respect. Koharu and Homura follow close behind still graceful, still strong. And he thinks maybe just maybe he could respect them again. His mastery of wind was unparalleled and together the four veterans hold the fox off from the heart of Konoha. His Root weaved in and out of ANBU as they stared at the living legends many thought were obsolete. Hiruzen was still feared widely on the battlefield but Koharu, Homura and Danzo were seen as past their glory days. How nice it felt to prove them wrong.

When the Fourth fell in his blaze of glory, his wife and his carving their legacy into their world with the Third Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, he feels regret and genuine sorrow. The Fourth was a man he could respect and now he was gone. He had to deal with soft Hiruzen again. The Jinchuuriki had to be trained! Kushina was trained, Mito was trained, and it would be a disaster if Naruto wasn't trained too. But Hiruzen blocks him and any attempt he makes at making the boy stronger. In his head he welcomes the assertive attitude but does wish for it to be applied to matters other than village security. He looks into Hiruzen's eyes and sees the same embers of fierce love he has in his own. And he backs down.

Danzo isn't a nice person. He knows that. And he knows it's what his village needs, so he feels no urge to change. What do the opinions of the village matter to him? Their safety is the only thing that concerns him. He doesn't agree with Hiruzen most of the times on what to do, but that is to be expected. But the memories when they do agree bring a smile to his weathered face; both of them working in concert had dominated the Third Shinobi world war against Kumo. Iwa had fallen to the Yellow Flash, Kumo was kept in check by Root and the full approval of the Hokage. There are memorable times when he has to use Shishui's eye to change Hiruzen's mind but they are few and far between. He has no regrets though, everything for his village.

Danzo watches Hiruzen and wonders if he'd be like Hiruzen if he was Hokage. They were both apprenticed by the Nidiame, how has one student risen to glory and one student fallen to the shadows? Would it be Hiruzen looking at Danzo with guarded eyes always thinking, always prodding for weakness? They stand in the same room and they both wonder how with such similar upbringing they could be aeons apart.

Koharu is still a formidable woman after years of inactivity and out of all the veterans he never lost his respect for her. Homura is a sly fellow and slinks into the background with a piercing gaze. Sometimes they support him, sometimes the support Hiruzen and both of them share exasperated looks that the duo flit in between them to stop the balance of power from breaking. It is one of the few times they'll agree and acknowledge they agree. Koharu will give them both a sharp glance and Hiruzen and him will look away hurriedly and cough. It is oddly reminiscent of his genin days when he and his team would team up with Hiruzen's team. Then he remembers genin, chunin, jounin days are over. They are all retired and the gulf in between them spans decades.

Arguing with Hiruzen is always exhilarating, matching wits and not knowing if he's going to win or lose is addicting. He can't afford to lose too many times, he can't afford to win too many times or he gets looked at hard for undermining the Hokage. The entire council by now knows not to interrupt them when they start arguing and batting arguments back and forth. They sigh and quietly discuss other less controversial issues ignoring the fighting shinobi as best as they can. A few times the verbal argument degenerated into a physical argument, the reserved Homura face palming as none of them have any idea how it happened. The training fields are always ruined by explosions, Why are they all such pubescent boys with explosions! Koharu was heard exclaiming. Kunai, shuriken, kusarigama, staves, swords, exploding tags, great chunks of earth, miniature lakes, burning trees and gashes in steel and a smell of used iron and sulphur litter the training grounds. But that's not Danzo's problem he thinks almost cheerfully as he and Hiruzen straighten their robes and go back to silently waging war.

Hiruzen has always hated the emotion training of his Root. He and Danzo had clashed numerous times over the age and training of his Root. Danzo doesn't see the problem, control over emotions means nothing can impede with the mission and he tells Hiruzen as such. As his Hokage's face tightens in fury Danzo wonders what could he have said to cause such a reaction. Granted Hiruzen's shinobi aren't that reserved but they have the training and they can do the job. His ANBU are masters of emotion control, what problem could he have with him training Root in this way? Emotions are weapons to the shinobi, he understood this very well. He flows out, his Root following close behind. They trust no one but themselves for who can they turn to? Their own Hokage would rather they didn't exist.

He's always favoured a militant approach to governing Konoha, they are a military village after all. He is confused at times, he and Hiruzen studied under the Nidiame and he knows Hiruzen got the same lessons he did but yet Hiruzen is content to apply the lessons in some areas but not all. But a gleam in Hiruzen's eyes warns him, this is not all there is. And he is excited, oh yes, his brother apprentice is playing a game and Hiruzen is inviting him to play.

So he looks underneath the underneath as Hatake calls it. He reviews every single decision made by Hiruzen and is frustrated for there is nothing that signifies anything of importance. Hiruzen's eyes dance in glee as he spots Danzo's irritated composure. Danzo watches Hiruzen tap a thin file with a code on top, and when he gives it to his Root to break it comes back as his name. And he is startled for a file on him in the secret archives should be full, his life has been long and he has done many things; then he understands. Hiruzen never stopped believing in their sensei. Danzo never stopped believing in their sensei. Hiruzen knows a united village is a sign of strength and so he doesn't. He plays to what the other countries expect of an old Hokage past his time while leaving the field open for Danzo to strike after all Danzo's actions are of a retired shinobi and all his movements without the Hokage's permission are illegal…right? Hiruzen never really stopped him in anything he realised, always being persuaded at the last minute but letting Danzo do what he needed to do.

Hiruzen realised everything he did, but the image of the kindly grandfather helped disguise the striking viper that was Danzo. They've been dancing in concert for years he realises in admiration, to the tune only Hiruzen knew. Maybe Hiruzen really was better than him and this time he felt no bitterness. What kind of Kage doesn't know everything that is going on in their own village? And now his brother apprentice needs his help, their dance was spinning out of control and Danzo needed to watch his steps again. Deceit is the way of the shinobi and he will be glad to fool the village to save it. Make Konoha seem weak and strong, overload them with contradicting information and it'll muddy the waters of espionage. What to believe? What is truth? What is going on?

Next time he stands in the Kage's office, he has the apprentice crest made out of the cracks on his head plate. Hiruzen picks it up of course and his eyes crinkle and just for the council they recreate a very loud argument about reviewing budgets for the academy. Koharu shakes her head slightly and Homura hides his chuckle as a cough as they watch two kage level shinobi argue like academy students. There is a strange warmth in camaraderie after years in a three man cell, a certain joy to have a comrade in deception. Them against the world.

A shattered reflection isn't the best word for them. A warped reflection certainly, a clouded reflection. For there are still matters they disagree on but they are minor and easily solved. Hiruzen always will have the taint of kindness following him around, that kind of corruption doesn't go away. Maybe a reflection in the curved head band of the Leaf. Comrades in arms.

**Please review ^.^**


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